Fisher: What will you be doing this Fourth of July?

It used to be that all but a few essential folks, such as some firefighters and police officers got the Fourth of July off. Economic times being what they are, many will be working just to make ends meet. The recent spate of corporate mergers have caused more jobs to be lost than gained. The gains that have occurred tend to be in low skill, low pay areas. For the numerous openings listed, many do not have the requisite skills. The other factor is that many companies have cut back full-time jobs so they don’t have to pay healthcare and benefits so that they can fatten that old bottom line, so many families are forced to take two or more part-time jobs to barely meet minimum wage.

Yet, there will be millions of us wondering what to do this long weekend. There are certain to be gatherings with friends and families, picnics and dinners with too much food and too much drink, lots of games to watch or play, flags and fireworks.

I got my love of fireworks from my dad. It was one of his few extravagances. He built an inclined launching ramp for the big rockets. Rockets became a big factor in my life. He also got loads of Roman candles, fountains, aerial repeaters, and pinwheels. The show would go on and on, but there was always a letdown when they were all gone. Here in Mt. Pleasant, I would set off a nice display until the city wisely banned them. They are back and a few neighbors start setting them off days before and after the official holiday.

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Only a few of us, unfortunately, will spend any real time thinking about the reason for the holiday. Our society has coarsened over the last few years. Culture is in decline, civility hardly exists. There is too much “me, me, me,” and too little “us, us, us.” Yet, it is us that Independence Day is really about.

In 1775, patriots in New England began fighting the British for their independence. The other colonies quickly joined the fight. On July 2, 1776, the Congress secretly voted for independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was published two days later on July 4, 1776. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was on July 8, 1776. Delegates began to sign the Declaration on July 4, finishing by Aug. 2, 1776, since several delegates had long distances to travel.

The fight for independence from tyranny was long and brutal, not ending until late 1783, when British troops left New York. George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief on Dec. 23 of that year.

The two key words we must include in our celebration this weekend are “independence” and “tyranny.” The Revolution was to win independence from British tyranny. Tyranny is when a few can control the many because of a power they have and will not share. One can achieve independence from such tyranny by fighting for the right to leave it as the new United States did in the Revolution or fight to destroy it, as the United States did to the Axis in World War II.

The United States is rapidly drifting toward plutocracy, where the few will control the many because of their affluence that has been absorbed from the middle class. That shall be tyranny. We, then, shall have no recourse but to revolt to regain our independence.

Our revolt can be through violence, as the colonists used during the Revolution, or through the ballot box this November. The latter is much more powerful than the use of force. Force will bring with it massive destruction of lives, property, and the environment. It will make the country vulnerable to external powers such as Russia and China that already want us destroyed.

We must change our direction. Amassing wealth for the sake of power over the many must not be allowed to continue. Capitalism can provide the means for providing a chance for the pursuit of happiness for everyone. It has to be strongly regulated to prevent corruption and over concentration. This can be done by turning away politicians beholden only to one percent of us. We must have leaders who can compromise between conflicting interests, to do what is best for America.

I hope your long weekend is peaceful, full of fun, and thoughtful. Steak would be good, but hot dogs are our tradition. Proudly display the flag.